20 Reasons to Visit İzmir

Just a Step Away from You!

Besides its remarkable features, its geographical location is one of the most important reasons for choosing İzmir. It can easily be reached with a few hours of flight from many places. It’s also very close to the most popular tourist destinations in Turkey.
It doesn't matter which country in the world you are in. There are direct flights to 88 destinations from 35 countries from İzmir. You can easily come to İzmir from anywhere in the world also thanks to the flights from İstanbul, which is less than an hour's flight away...

The Destination for a Happy Vacation

Aegean means İzmir and İzmir means sea, sand, and sun… The sun is very generous here: It warms up the city 300 days a year. With its unique bays, blue flag beaches, facilities that offer all kinds of water sports, İzmir is the primary destination for a fun, joyful and happy vacation!
İzmir is a city where you can dive into the refreshing sea after sunbathing on the unique beaches and enjoy authentic breakfasts, the famous kumru, local foods that include thousands of various herbs and seafood with a side of various mezes...

İzmir, the City of Sun

No matter what the season is, if you want to go on a vacation, you don’t have to wait for the summer months to enjoy the sun. In İzmir, the sun shines on the fertile plains, deep blue waters, foothills on which the animals graze, streets on where the happy people wander for 300 hundred days of the year.
Many of the beaches along the 629 km coastline of İzmir have blue flags. The city in which spectacular beaches lie next to one another and the summer tourism develops naturally attracts visitors from all around the world...

Discover the 8500 Year History

Are you ready to explore 8.500 years of richness? İzmir has always been a city people preferred to live in with its location at the West of the East and at the East of the West; the city has been a home to countless civilizations since it was founded. İzmir is a city that was founded twice. The first settlement of ancient Smyrna dates back to 3,000 BC. The city was founded for the second time in Kadifekale (Pagos) in 4th Century by one of the generals of Alexander the Great...

Home of UNESCO World Heritage Sites

İzmir is even more special with its world heritage sites! İzmir is a city that embraces history, protects cultural and historical assets and aims to transfer these assets to the next generations. The UNESCO World Heritage List is a list that is determined by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee and consists of "cultural" and "natural" values in the world. Two out of fifteen values of Turkey that are in the UNESCO World Heritage List are located in İzmir...

The Multi-Faith City

İzmir has hosted several different faiths from past to present for thousands of years. People have prayed in various impressive religious structures such as the temples with statues dedicated to mother goddesses, churches, synagogues and mosques. People in the city have always lived freely in mutual respect and tolerance...

The City of Flavor

İzmir has a multicultural and rich cuisine just like its history. This delicious cuisine is another reason to visit İzmir. Even though İzmir’s cuisine was shaped with the taste of the Levantine living here during the Ottoman rule, you can also find the most delicious examples of Turkish, Cretan, Greek, and Balkan dishes. The most prominent feature of İzmir’s cuisine is that it’s healthy. Both the Aegean Sea itself and the climate softened by the Aegean Sea provide İzmir with the freshest seafood and the freshest vegetables...

The City of Health

İzmir has always been identified with the word health. Its fresh air, enjoyable venues right next to the sea, hospitals, modern health facilities, specialist doctors in various fields, accommodation facilities that appeal to every budget, clinical rest houses, two-hour flight duration to European countries and advanced land, sea and air transportation makes İzmir one of the leading cities when it comes to medical tourism, with all its sub-branches like thermal tourism, medical SPA, third age tourism, etc...

The Frequent Destination of Cruise Ships

One of the best reasons for visiting İzmir is that it is so easy to visit İzmir! İzmir is not only two-hour away from the most important airports in Europe, but it’s also one of the most frequent destinations of cruise ships in the Aegean Region. İzmir is a city that received the Leading Cruise Destination Award in the scope of the World Travel Awards in 2011, 2012 and 2013...

The Heartland of Shopping

One of the most enjoyable activities you can do in İzmir is shopping. In almost every district of the city, you can find colorful and cute small shops, branches of world-famous brands, big shopping malls, historical bazaars, and district markets.The Historical Kemeraltı Bazaar is the first place that comes to mind when it comes to shopping. Aside from Kemeraltı, which is the world’s biggest open-air market, many shopping centers...

The City of Fairs and Congresses

İzmir, which has the largest fairground in Turkey, is hosting the most prestigious fairs of the world throughout the year with its facilities equipped with all kinds of technology, such as Kültürpark and Fuar İzmir. İzmir International Fair, Marble İzmir Fair, International Wedding Dresses, Suits and Evening Gowns Fair which are accepted among the most important fairs of the world are just a few of the fairs organized in the city. There are also numerous congress halls and hotels in İzmir where congresses of all scales can be organized...

İzmir, the Capital of Surfing

The sea in İzmir means vast waters that enables all kinds of sports on and under water. Çeşme is the capital of surfing in Turkey. Çeşme Bays, especially Alaçatı, Ilıca, and Pırlanta, look like as if they were created for surfing. They host surf enthusiasts from all over the world. In addition to the locations, you can also surf, windsurf, and kitesurf in Urla’s Çeşmeler, Seferihisar’s Akkum, and Foça’s Çandarlı. Menderes, Karaburun, Dikili, and Selçuk districts, on the other hand, are good destinations for water sports such as jet ski, banana, water ski, and canoeing, etc...

The Land of Unique Handicrafts

The products of the talented people of İzmir make you feel all kinds of different emotions: Sometimes they take you back in time, re-visit history; sometimes they reflect the modern age. There are many handicrafts unique to İzmir. The most important of which is the evil eye bead. It is believed that the evil eye bead protects the owner by attracting the negative energy around itself...

It’s Worth Discovering

There are many “firsts” that make İzmir unique. Here are some of them: Three of the “Seven Churches” mentioned in the Bible are in İzmir. The Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is in İzmir. Parchment paper was discovered in Bergama. The first church that was built for Virgin Mary is in Ephesus. The snake figure which is the symbol of medicine was originated in Bergama...

The City of Arts and Culture

Experience a life full of art and culture… İzmir is full of museums, cultural centers and its socio-cultural calendar is packed with events, exhibitions and festivals all year round. İzmir’s Archeology Museum which is a short walk up the hill from Konak contains a fine collection of Greek and Roman artifacts. Next door to the Archeology Museum is the Ethnography Museum, originally built in 1831 as St. Roche Hospital. The lovely 4 story stone building houses colorful displays of local arts and crafts...

A Peaceful and Modern City Life

İzmir is one of the most modern and peaceful cities in Turkey. You'll be happy every moment you spend here and you'll want to come back again at the first opportunity. Whether you stay in the city center or the surrounding districts in İzmir, you can fulfill all your needs 24/7. Once you're in İzmir, a well-planned schedule can enable you to tour the historical and touristic places of the city, to walk around the astonishing streets of the Historical Kemeraltı Bazaar, most likely to come across...

The Organic City

İzmir, the heart of organic agriculture, is the city of those who want to live a healthier and better quality life. Since everything in this city is natural, everything is healthy! The lands on which controlled and quality agriculture is conducted have also made İzmir one of the leading cities in this area. There are three organic markets where the producers sell their certified products. At these markets which open on Fridays in Karşıyaka, and on Saturdays in Bostanlı and Balçova, only the producers with certificates can sell products...

A City Full of Festivals

İzmir is one of the most vibrant and colorful cities of the country with numerous events hosted throughout the year.
Every event held in the city center and the area around it welcomes tens of thousands of people. It’s very likely that you will come across one of the many music, food, flower or theatre festivals during your visit to İzmir. You can click here to see the upcoming events of the year. İzmir is one of the most active and colorful cities with the events it has throughout the year. Every event held in the city center and the area around it welcomes tens of thousands of people...

The City of Bicycles

How about having more fun when exploring the city? Get ready to ride your bike freely in the city center or districts with the wind behind you. You can rent a bike with the BİSİM system from one of the 31 stations situated between İnciraltı Recreational Area and Bird Paradise then return the bike to whichever station you prefer. Also, you can take your bike with you in rail systems and make your trip more enjoyable by traveling on many bicycle roads going through districts. To see all the stations you can rent a bike, please click here...

About İzmir

About İzmir

Located on the shores of the Aegean Sea, west of the Anatolian Peninsula, İzmir is the third-largest city in Turkey. It is one of the most habitable cities thanks to its large share in industrial production and employment, and also the quality of life it offers. With a population of over 4 million and a young spirit, İzmir is one of the most productive and vibrant cities of the Aegean region and Turkey.